After teaching abroad in several different countries and then returning to the United States, I have noticed that a lot of my own teaching techniques, approaches, and beliefs are culture-specific. I also noticed how other instructors adapt or fail to adapt to a new environment when they move to another country to teach. Everywhere I go, I keep a close eye on the teachers that students respond best to. At this point, I can only infer through informal observation that some characteristics of a good teacher are universal whereas other characteristics are more culture-specific. From experience, it seems to take about a year to adjust to the new teaching environment, but I would like to minimize this adjustment to maximize the quality of teaching and learning during that adaptation phase of one year. I think one year is too long, especially in the contexts of intensive language learning programs.
Why do I want to research this topic?
Although I have encountered a lot of research on how culture affects learning, I have a difficult time finding detailed peer-reviewed articles on how culture affects teaching. I am highly interested in how culture affects teaching. It is easy to understand how culture affects teaching in the field of ESL and to a greater extent EFL education, but as the diversity of American classroom increases, I believe this question will soon be relevant for any American educator, and probably educators around the globe. In addition, I believe that this research will ultimately benefit the learner as this research could help teachers to become better prepared to teach overseas, and it could add valuable information to teacher training programs.
Research areas
I have divided my research questions into several categories as they seem to be limitless.
- An American English language instructor teaching abroad (case study)
- American English language instructors teaching abroad (population sample)
- Comparing American ESL instructors abroad and at home
- An experienced American ESL instructor teaching abroad for the first time
- Experienced American overseas instructor teaching in the United States for the first time
- Multicultural teaching principles
My favorite research question at the moment falls under the third category: "Given that both groups are new to the host culture, how do teaching practices differ between new and experienced instructors in terms of adapting to the host culture?" In other words, I'm trying to measure adaptability and the differences (if any) between new and experienced instructors. Age, instead of experience, could be another variable to investigate.
Why is this American-centered? First of all, this variable helps to narrow my research. Secondly, I'll have more to learn personally as this research will provided a better lens into my past and my future experiences of teaching abroad. Thirdly, I'd like my research to inspire those from other countries, which could lead to a fantastic meta-analysis of how culture affects educators from various cultural backgrounds.
Recommended scholarly reading
Cushner, K. The role of experience in the making of internationally-minded teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly. v.34 no. 1 (Winter 2007). p27-39.
Dantas, M.L. Building teacher competency to work with diverse learners in the context of international education. Teacher Education Quarterly. v.34 no.1 (Winter 2007). p75-94
He, Y. & Cooper, J.E. The ABCs for pre-service teacher cultural competency development. Teaching Education (Columbia, S.C.). v.20 no.3 (September 2009). p305-322
Malewski, E. & Phillion, J. International field experiences: the impact of class, gender and race on the perceptions and experiences of preservice teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education. v.25 no.1 (January 2009). p52-60
Menard-Warwich, J. The cultural and intercultural identities of transnational English teachers: two case studies from the Americas. TESOL Quarterly. v.42 no.4 (December 2008). p617-640